Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop
CH 3: A Devil in High Heels
"Yo," said Spike as he ducked into the entrance of the tepee. Before him sat his old friend, Laughing Bull in all his timeless glory. He was currently packing his peace pipe as if he had been expecting his present company.
Laughing Bull's tan, deeply lined hand reached out to offer Spike the pipe, which he graciously accepted. He sat down across from the old man and lit the pipe awaiting wisdom.
"Swimming Bird," spoke Laughing Bull addressing Spike with his Native name. "You and Striking Snake have recently opposed the White Tiger."
"Yep," said Spike letting out a puff of smoke.
"And the Sleeping Panther…she has entered your life."
"Who? You mean Faye?" asked Spike knowing full well the man wouldn't give him a straight answer.
"Be careful with Sleeping Panther. Striking Snake still harbors bitterness in his heart."
"Kinda figured," was Spike's sarcastic reply.
"Also, Swimming Bird," spoke Laughing Bull in a tone that demanded respect and attention. "Beware the Lurking Wolf."
"Huh? Who's that?" asked Spike with a perplexed expression on his smoke covered face.
"You will know…when the time is right."
The Red Dragon's Head Quarter's building was a lesson in severe luxury. Glossy, black marble floors, red runner carpets to line the hallways, priceless, antique paintings hung from almost every wall, only the finest of furniture made from almost extinct woods shipped from Earth. There was even an atrocity of an art deco sculpture jutting forth from the lobby floor to reach nearly 3 stories high. The building seemed like the perfect synthesis of antique and modern styles.
As Spike walked through the lobby with his characteristic slouch and hands shoved into his pockets, he received many a happy "welcome back" from his fellow Syndicate members. Surprisingly enough, today he actually donned the typical Syndicate uniform too. The black suit didn't bother him so much as the trimmed frock coat with a braided golden tassel draped across his chest. Vicious seemed to really dig his. Wore it constantly, even though he didn't have to being Mao's other protégé.
His mind wandered to Vicious as he made his way to and up the stairs. They'd met quite a few years ago as teenagers. Mao had picked him up somewhere and had introduced the young man as Vicious. Spike, having been in the Syndicate since he could remember, boldly laughed at the new kid's name. Vicious hadn't even flinched at the laughter. He did, however, come up with a smart ass, sarcastic comeback about what a ridiculous name "Spike" was. Spike admired Vicious' wit and they had soon become friends.
Lately, even before the Faye pool hall incident, Vicious had grown much more cold and distant towards Spike. He had been just as shocked as the others to discover there was a beautiful woman in Vic's life. Well, there had been. At least it offered some kind of explanation as to why Vic was acting strange.
Before reaching his destination and knocking on the door, he wondered if it was even right to be interested in your best friend's ex. What if the situation was reversed? Would he want Vicious to hook up with his sexy ex? Probably not.
"Come in!" called a voice through the thick, oak door.
Spike nodded at the two guards by the door that welcomed him back after acknowledging their presence. He stepped into the office shutting the door behind him. On instinct, he made his way across the outrageously expensive, dark red, imported rug and over to the personal bar. Fixing himself a scotch on the rocks, he shuffled over to the black leather couch and sunk into it.
"Something on your mind?" asked Mao looking up from the paperwork he sat surveying at his desk.
"A woman," Spike replied simply before taking a long sip from his bitter drink. He didn't even wince as the scotch burned a trail down his throat and warmly settled into his stomach.
"Really?" asked Mao a bit surprised. He wasn't much to look at being of average height and build, perhaps even a little short. His hair and eyes were dark brown and his aging skin tan. Yet, his appearance aside, he was one of the most powerful Crime Lords in the Red Dragon Syndicate and like a father to Spike.
"So, what's the problem? Is she from a rival syndicate?" he asked knowing Spike didn't always offer up information unless provoked.
"Mine as well be. She's Vic's ex girlfriend," mumbled Spike now almost done with his drink.
"Faye Valentine?" Mao said her name as if she was a piece of occult history. Or a goddess to be held in reverence.
"That would be her," said Spike returning to the bar for a second round. "She showed up one night we were at the Eight Ball. It was amazing…I don't know why, but I felt like a lovesick kid. There's something about her that sets my nerves on fire."
"I believe that is called lust," said Mao tapping his pen against his desk. "Spike…do you know anything about Faye? About her past?" he asked with a pensive expression settling into his face.
"No. Why?" Spike glanced up from his attempt at making a martini to see his mentor's face and was surprised. Mao wasn't normally a man to be easily worried.
"She has an…interesting past. Well, what little of it she does remember," explained Mao. "We've had our experts try to trace her background, but they came up practically empty handed."
"What are you getting at?" asked Spike sticking a toothpick through a green olive before dropping it into the martini.
"That most of her history is unknown to us as well as her. When we found her, she had recently been waken from a lengthy cold sleep. Whatever caused her to be put into cryogenic stasis also made her lose her memory."
"And this is a problem?" Spike returned to the couch.
Mao sighed. "Well…not right now. I guess I'm just trying to tell you to be careful."
"You have a funny way of saying it." He took a sip of his drink and grimaced.
"And you never take my advice," said Mao with a smile. He adored Spike, but the kid was as thick headed as they come.
Vicious watched with his arms crossed as his friend made long strides through the lobby. Spike eventually noticed him glowering in a shaded corner and approached him.
"Hey," he said with a lopsided smirk.
"Nice uniform," said Vicious nailing his friend with an icy glare. "I thought you despised them."
"Not really," laughed Spike returning Vic's intense glare. "I just hate the coats."
"Have you seen Faye lately?"
The unexpected question made Spike's heart skip a beat and he couldn't prevent the momentary shock that passed through his eyes. "No," he answered maintaining his composure.
"If you do see her…tell her to forget about Friday," said Vicious. I have…other plans."
As Spike stood, confusion evident on his face, Vicious nodded and walked away. He continued to stand there dumbfounded for several minutes, staring at the wall. Eventually, he shook his head and turned around just in time to run into a pretty woman. She had layered hair that fell just above her shoulders, big brown eyes, a heart shaped face, and petite red lips. Spike grabbed one of her slim arms and steadied her short frame against his. Fortunately, she managed to keep a firm grip on the manila folders she carried.
"Oh my god…I'm so sorry," breathed the woman blushing slightly. She looked up at Spike and he was momentarily reminded of Faye. Their eyes were eerily similar, though different colors.
"No harm, no foul," said Spike with a shrug.
"Uhm…I'm new here and I don't really know my way around. Would you be so kind as to direct me to Mao Yenrai's office?"
"20th floor. Take a right when you get out of the elevator and go to the end of the hall. Hope you have your clearance card."
"I do, thank you so much, Mr…" she trailed off batting her eyes at him.
"Spike. Just call me Spike," he said.
"You can call me Alisa. Thanks again, Spike!" she called jogging off towards the elevator.
"Well, she's a pretty little thing," said Spike with a smirk as he turned to leave the building. "I wonder if she's Mao's new 'assistant'?"
"Spike!" called a voice followed by the distinctive clicking of high heels.
He turned around to behold Faye running towards him, also dressed in a Red Dragon uniform. Her hair was down, though, flowing like black silk around her shoulders and back. It was a pleasant sight indeed.
"Faye. How are you?" he asked as she caught up with him and slowed to a stroll.
"I'm great," she said with a smile as she slipped her arm through his and led him out the door.
"Hey, I just talked to Vic. He said forget about Friday."
She responded by laughing loudly. "Like I was going to show up anyway!" She saw the perplexed look on Spike's face and explained. "That bastard thinks he can still weasel his way into my life by inviting me to dinner with a couple of his Syndicate buddies. After all this time, he still doesn't know me very well."
"Uh…Where are we going?" asked Spike as she continued to lead him down the sidewalk.
"Somewhere more…private," she responded shooting him a mischievous look.
He had no objection to her comment and they continued to walk in silence.
"Home sweet home," sighed Faye as her and Spike wandered into her luxurious loft apartment.
The loft was decorated in a simplistic Asian style. It consisted of paper screen walls separating the bedroom from the main living area, large windows draped with plain, white curtains, black marble floors, Buddhist artifacts and paintings here and there, and strategically placed plants.
"Have a seat," she said shrugging off her suit jacket and making her way to the bar.
Spike complied taking a seat on her large, cream-colored couch. Faye joined him minutes later bearing two martinis. She kicked off her shoes and sat down, folding her legs beneath her.
"Nice place," he said after downing half of his drink in one gulp. "Really classy."
"Thank you," she said casually unbuttoning the top of her dress shirt.
He stared at her as her breasts half spilled out of her shirt. He quickly snapped himself out of his rude behavior and attempted to distract himself with her antiques.
"Those are old paintings and statues…where did you get them?" he asked putting on his best stoic face.
"Earth," she answered slyly scooting closer to him as he inspected a statue of Kuan Yin. "That's where I'm from."
"Really?" He turned towards her mildly surprised by her statement. Maybe she did remember some of her past after all. "What part are you from?"
"I don't know," she answered looking a little melancholy. "All I know is that I woke up there."
"How did you end up on Mars?" he asked just now realizing how close she was to him. She smelled like heady, exotic flowers.
"I hitched a ride," she said nonchalantly. "Didn't feel like paying my medical bills, so I decided to leave."
"Then the Syndicate found you."
"Yes, they did," said Faye with a faint smile. "I'm rather glad they did…for a short while after I got here, I had nothing. They took me in and trained me. Now, I have plenty to call my own."
She set down her drink and scooted even closer to him. Her legs lightly rested against his right thigh and one of her arms snaked its way over his shoulders. Her hand seemed to work voodoo-like magic on his body as it began to gently caress the shoulder that is rested on. His lust factor was shooting sky high, and he could tell by the look in her fathomless green eyes that she was enjoying the teasing.
"You want me, don't you?" she purred into his ear sending shivers down his spine.
"Well…I…uh…" he stuttered, caught completely off guard.
She chuckled lightly and crawled onto his lap with the agility and grace of a cat. Before he could even react, she grabbed the lapels of his jacket and leaned down bringing her lips to his.
Fire. Her mouth and touch were like liquid fire running through his veins. His hands encircled her back and he began to let them roam all over her lush figure. Their lips met again and again in a passionate embrace. This woman was intoxicating him to the point he barely had control. She managed to rip his jacket and undershirt off in between kisses. His deft fingers quickly discarded her shirt and then traveled up her skirt.
"I barely know you…" he whispered while struggling with the hooks on her bra.
"Is that a problem?" she asked as her bra was released. She slid it off and tossed it aside.
"Not really," breathed Spike getting an appreciated eyeful of the half naked beauty.
Faye suddenly climbed off of him and started walking away. "Come on…let's go to my room."
Spike, once again, willingly complied.
Authors Note:
Well, here it is…finally. Another chapter. Took me forever, but my new motto is "better late than never". The semester is over now and I took the summer off, so I will hopefully have more time to create and write. I was surprised that I was able to pick up where I left off so easily. I suppose that's a good thing. I have more of this wrote too, but not a whole chapter and not typed yet. I'll get to it….eventually. Hope you enjoyed!
To my Reviewers:
Faye-Faye14: Thank you so much! You always leave such sweet reviews
Lemonsweetie: Thank you for the encouragement! It always helps!
Rouge Night: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it and that I was able to pull off the Bebop style (which isn't always as easy as I thought…)
Kendra Luehr: Thank you for the lovely reviews! Vic is always up to something, isn't he? And yes, David Lucas' voice is damn sexy. Sorry the update wasn't ASAP, but school was murder. Hope you enjoyed the new chappie!
Bebopangel: Thank you so much for the flattering review! I'm glad I was able to make the story original.
Brigidforest: Thank you for the review! Vic is sexy, as always, and up to no good. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! More Vicious is on the way .
Pimpin Satan: Of course Faye is a temptress! And, no, I don't plan on making her another Julia. Thank you so much for helping me brainstorm on this story too! I appreciate it!
Reality: Lol, yes, it does get rid of Julia nicely.
Kurama's Rose: Thank you! I like Faye there better too
Ophelia-Cat: Thank you for the lovely comment! I aim to please .
Nani?: Well…I have my reasons for writing this fic. I could've written about Julia, but her character was too elusive in the series. Faye is the character I grew to love and enjoy writing. And, yes, it's just a fic and it's all in good fun. Thanks for the review, though!
Fox Xanatos: Thank you for the review! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
Cbdbz247: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed my somewhat unique approach to the old Bebop world. Spike and Fayeness will ensue!
Radioplayer360: Thank you! Glad you liked it! The Van is pretty demanding. And, if I remember, I will try to add some flashbacks to Faye and Vicious's relationship.
Outis: Thank you I didn't forget about Zen, and now I have another Zen to work on. Hope you enjoy the new chappie!